George Wardle
George Wardle was a Baldwin's Casuals van driver who was briefly engaged to Ivy Tilsley. Biography George started at Baldwin's Casuals as a van driver in March 1985. He was a divorcee and a Catholic, and knew Ivy Tilsley from church. Ivy was shy about getting to know George as she'd recently been widowed but Vera Duckworth volunteered her to wash and iron the rugby team's kit for George, who played on the team. George and Ivy went out a few times but, knowing how important her religion was to Ivy, George told her her was a widower. Within a few months, George and Ivy were inseparable; George decorated No.5 for Ivy, and when the St. Luke's Church team's van broke down and George couldn't make it to a game, Ivy borrowed the factory keys (without Mike's knowledge) to get the firm's van. The van ended up covered in graffiti and Ivy got a black eye after arguing with one of the opponent's mothers. Mike held George responsible for the van as he was the driver, but Ivy demanded the same punishment as George as she'd taken the keys. George offered his resignation but Mike docked their wages to pay for cleaning and repairs instead. In June, George and Ivy went away to the Isle of Man together (so that Ivy would have an excuse not to go with Jack and Vera to Rhyl), although Ivy insisted on separate bedrooms. She hoped George would propose but was offended when he assumed she would want to take their relationship to the bedroom without marriage. She dumped him but they made up and George proposed. They had an engagement party in the Rovers but it was somewhat upstaged by an argument between Jack and Vera and Harry and Connie Clayton. George wanted to marry in a Registry Office but for Ivy it was a church or no wedding at all. After dragging the preparations out for a few months, George agreed to marry in a church before Christmas, but then admitted to Ivy that he wasn't a widower and that his ex-wife was still alive. In the eyes of the church - and Ivy - George was thus still a married man and this, together with the fact that he'd lied, resulted in Ivy ending the engagement and dropping him. George still wanted Ivy and Brian Tilsley tried to convince her she was being stupid in throwing away a promising relationship because of her religion, but she refused to listen. George moved on and started seeing factory worker Pauline Walsh, which upset Ivy who was having second thoughts about George. Ivy told George she'd give up the church for him, but he was adamant their romance was over. George was sacked by Mike in February 1986 when George clocked Pauline into work when she was out shopping. First and last lines "Oh, morning girls. Must be a well-run shop this... first morning on and there's a card waiting for me." (First line, to the Baldwin's Casuals sewing room staff). --- "I know it wasn't you, Ivy." (Final line) See also *Full list of appearances External links *George Wardle at Corrie.net Category:Coronation Street characters Category:Drivers Category:1985 debuts Category:1986 departures Category:Baldwin's Casuals staff